Job Discussion Forums

[rcmroz]

Hello,

I have been considering the possibility of teaching English in Poland for the past few weeks. By using the search feature on this site, and the almighty, all-seeing Google, I have managed to get answers to many of the questions I initially had about this decision. I do have a couple of remaining questions, and was hoping to get some answers, input, or advice from some of the knowledgeable members of this forum.

First, a bit of background:

I have been professionally employed as a software developer for the past 6 years. My educational and occupational backgrounds are almost exclusively IT related (although I did begin university studying humanities). I have a TESOL cert, but it is not CELTA or Trinity. I was born and raised in Canada, but am eligible for Polish citizenship as my Dad is a Polish citizen. I recently began the process to acquire a certificate of citizenship through the Polish consulate in Montreal, after initially corresponding with the embassy in Ottawa. English is my first language. My knowledge of Polish very limited as my father spent most of my formative years away working, so I was raised primarily by my English speaking mother.

It is my understanding, based largely on previous posts on this board, that despite my primarily IT background, I should not have to too difficult a time in securing employment as an English teacher in Poland. I have, however, come to the decision to take my CELTA in any event, due to the level of recognition given to this particular certification, and will be doing so in August. My plan then, is to fly to Poland upon its completion and begin looking for work.

Oh, one more thing to add. I am not sure how long I would like to travel abroad and teach. Making a pile of money is not a concern at the moment. I plan on being away for atleast one year, and then maybe back to hacking code, but for now I feel a break from programming would be good. Recharge and reevaluate. After that year, who knows?

Now for the questions:

1) Is anyone aware of, or has anyone personally experienced the process of acquiring a certificate of citizenship? Specifically, I was wondering how quickly this process will take assuming that all of the required documentation is in order? Will interviews be required here in Canada?
(My Dad is of the opinion that any dealings with the Polish bureaucracy will be both long and painful, and he figures that I should get the matter sorted sometime before the end of this decade

2) I have noticed that many job postings also include a different set of minimum standards required of Poles who apply for ESL jobs. Usually these requirements list a BA or MA in English studies. My assumption is that this requirement is for Poles raised in Poland whose first language was Polish, and would not apply to me, even were I to travel to Poland and make application as a Polish citizen, given my particular set of circumstances. Is this assumption correct?

3) Assuming that the answer for question 1 is > 6 weeks, would it be a bad idea to travel to Poland as I had planned and begin my job hunt while this process is underway? Can it be conducted while I am in Poland, possibly working? I ask this because one chap at the embassy in Ottawa stated, paraphrasing here, that according to the Polish government and law, I am already a considered a Polish citizen and that the certificate of citizenship is largely a formality, but required in order to get a Polish passport. This struck me as a bit odd. Nobody at the embassy in Ottawa or konsulat in Montreal was willing to commit to a time frame for the process , just basically repeated what was needed to get it started. The were less than helpful, and at times even somewhat contradictory.

I welcome any advice, input, or even best educated guesses with regards to my questions.

Thank you for your time.

best regards,

Ray

[patrykt]

Go for it Ray, but be prepared to pull your hair out. I believe that red tape is red tape anywhere you go, but in Poland it's pretty nasty. Be prepared to get ten different answers from ten different people, because nobody knows anything. Not to discourage you, but the process you want to go through may make you grit your teeth a time or two.

Good luck

[rcmroz]

Thanks for the reply. I have pretty much decided to dive right in, get everything sorted as I go. I just hope that this will not require a flight back to Canada at any point.

Ray